Bureau of Indian Affairs

Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood

The below BIA created Blood Quantum Blood Calculation chart is used by the BIA to calculate a persons degree of Indian Blood. This chart may be used for issuance of a BIA certified CDIB, and this chart may be used by various Tribal governments for enrollment into that Tribe.

"What is the background of the Federal Acknowledgement Regulations?"

"The BIA sets no minimum blood quantum requirements for acknowledgement purposes, but does require descent from a historic Tribe. If your group decides to establish a blood quantum requirement for membership, that is your own decision. However, it is not required by the acknowledgement regulations."

The above quote has been copied from Code of Federal Regulations: 25-- Indians, Bureau of Indian Affairs of the Department of the Interior.

A CDIB does not establish membership in an Indian Tribe. Tribal membership is determined by tribal laws and may or may not require a CDIB. No tribal government accepts DNA as it does not distinguish tribal lineage. An Indian can be a full-blood with a mixture of different tribes, but the CDIB can have the Indian listed as a fractional Indian as a CDIB can only show the blood degree of one tribe. Non-federally recognized tribes are not eligible for a CDIB, individuals not on a (recognized) base roll or applying for enrollment in a federally recognized tribe, are not eligible for a CDIB.